Harvest Sweaters for Yarn

[rue d'oak]

OK, once again, a mad idea. I had to try this, upon reading an article in Spin Off magazine: unravel sweaters to get usable yarn.

So off to the Goodwill I went. The key is to look at the seams. If joined with a chain stitch, it means the garment pieces were shaped while knitting, and the yarn will pull continuously. If serged, then likely the garment was knit as fabric, then cut to size and sewn, and the yarn will only be as long as one row.

From a traditional men's lambswool vest, I got two balls of fine yarn (total 6 oz), costing $5.49


I ripped out the seams and took off the ribbing. And I will save the label until I use the yarn.


What made it easy was using my ball winder, pulling straight from the garment. This thin yarn did break, so I will knit or ply the yarn knowing that I will need to deal with a few knots or joins.

[EvaJ]

Neat idea. We don't get the wool sweaters here.

[DrDebby]

Recycling at it's finest.

[blestlady]

Jen, this is a great idea! What a neat job of winding and your winder isn't even electric. I have an electric one that I have not used yet! I bought it at Michael's or Joann's or some place like that about 6 or 12 months before we left FL. Beatiful yarn and color!

[rue d'oak]

I tried a soft fuzzy yarn, but it kept breaking as I unraveled it. I would love to use some of the cashmere sweaters I occasionally find at the thrift shop, but now wonder if I will have any luck unraveling them. I'll let you know!

If anyone else has tried this, add your comments! I would appreciate knowing what works and how you have reused the yarn.

This blue yarn above is pretty fine. I may end up adding it to another yarn when knitting, or plying it. I am getting increasingly tempted by learning to spin on a wheel, to make the plying easier.

Jen